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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26823280">Mityacore</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spadefish/pseuds/Spadefish'>Spadefish</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Glenn Fraldarius Lives, M/M, Size Difference, Teratophilia, manticore!byleth, manticore!dimitri, no academy AU, this timeline is fucked like eight ways to sunday but I Do Not Care i'm just here to write Big Kitty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:15:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,967</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26823280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spadefish/pseuds/Spadefish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Felix's brother leaves for a trip that should only take a few days, and it's nearly been a week without his return. Coincidentally, a man-eating monster has just made his den in Fraldarius territory. The two things couldn't possibly be related.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mityacore</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this is my first time trying to write multi-chapter fic. I mostly deal in oneshots, so I can't say that there'll be a super concrete schedule when it comes to updating this-- but I'll do my best! I'll also do my best to update the tags where it's necessary, since there are a couple of things I haven't hammered out for sure. Thank you so much for checking this out, and please let me know what you think!</p>
<p>(I'm marking this as 'mature' for now, but it might get a bump up to 'explicit' later on, as a head's up.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dimitri has spent the vast majority of his life alone. He sees the world pass underneath his wingspan, never lingers in one place long enough to commit the details to memory. He’s seen rocky crags and sweltering deserts, vast grasslands and stormy mountains. He watches from high above the glittering lights of human settlements; flickering torchlight from traveling caravans, bustling streets in booming kingdoms. </p>
<p>Humans are interesting creatures. They carry weapons, speak in dozens of languages and thousands upon thousands of different words, collect and trade and sell all manner of trinkets and goods and food and books. He watches these alien exchanges from afar, and when humans get too close, well…</p>
<p>...Typically, he eats them. </p>
<p>And if he could, he’d keep their belongings and maybe learn more about them then what he can from afar. Maybe he’d collect their trinkets and journals and glinting weapons. Life on the wing, however, leaves no room for luggage, and manticores are known far and wide for their ability to consume all means of objects, whether they be leather or parchment, iron or steel. Three sets of hungry, snapping jaws make short work of the weapons and armour of humans, and nothing is wasted.</p>
<p>This is how he’s lived countless years of his life. Truthfully, Dimitri is fascinated by humans. He loves their languages and laughter and the colours of their kingdoms. He’s always been an unwelcome guest, though. His reputation as a man-eater proceeded the voracious habit itself, and Dimitri learned early on in kittenhood that humans would never, ever trust him. Such hopeful approaches have always left him with new injuries, the most grievous of which occurred in his teenage years, when a prospective hunter took his right eye. That was when he stopped trying. </p>
<p>Or… that’s what he thought. </p>
<p>⁂</p>
<p>Winter is settling in, and Dimitri has landed in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. If you asked him, he wouldn’t be able to tell you the name. He doesn’t know that he’s right in the cusp between Fhirdiad and Fraldarius-- he simply knows that the forest here is thick, and there are rivers enough that should he fail to find fresh game, he can always rely on the salmon that swim upstream. </p>
<p>He doesn’t know that just a few dozen miles east of his makeshift den, there resides a house of proud hunters- Duke Fraldarius and his two sons. The three of them do their part to scour and defend their territory, and in the meantime, hunt for meat and fur. Rodrigue stays behind to keep watch over his homestead, and Felix, ever anti-social, takes up most of the dirty work. Glenn, chivalrous and cordial, takes up all they have to sell and makes the trip to Fhirdiad a few times a month to bring gold and supplies back to his family. </p>
<p>Dimitri pays none of these things any mind, at least at first. He makes his den, ensures that it is comfortable, and soon finds that, quite conveniently, there is a major road not too far away. With large roads come processions of humans, some of them small in number and feeble in arms. Celebrating his luck, he begins picking off their carts. He topples wagons, eats the traders and passengers within, and leaves their cargo by the wayside. </p>
<p>⁂</p>
<p>Word gets around, of course, and suddenly people are suddenly less inclined to take this particular route. They don’t know <i>what</i> it is, exactly, but it must be <i>something</i>, or else where would the corpses be disappearing to? It can’t be bandits, because the cargo and gold are untouched, and it’s unlikely to be a normal animal, since there’s seldom any blood or mess. </p>
<p>Glenn Kyphon Fraldarius is a stubborn man, however. He’s been taking the same route for years, and he’s not about to stop now. Blessed with incredible swordsmanship and a major crest of Fraldarius, he often makes the mistake of thinking of himself as invincible. He and his father argue the night before he’s meant to leave for Fhirdiad, and in the end, his stubbornness wins out. He takes off early in the morning, before his father can wake and stop him. </p>
<p>⁂</p>
<p>It has been a few days since Dimitri’s most recent catch. He’s starting to grow anxious that the humans have abandoned this route entirely. He paces around the expanse of his newfound territory, stops by the river and catches a few fish, and then makes the lap back around toward his den. That’s when he hears it- the sweet, sweet sound of hoofbeats and wagon wheels, the uneven tenor of a human singing some nonsensical song. </p>
<p>He makes sure to move quietly, tucking his massive body low against the ground as he follows the noise. The wagon itself is somewhat small, but it’s got a large canvas cover that helps obscure him from view as he moves up from behind. A little closer… a little closer.. And then he leaps, all at once, and wrenches one of the horses away so hard and so fast that the wagon nearly tips over. He shakes the flailing animal hard, a sickening snap echoing through the air as some part of its skeleton breaks- its neck maybe, or a lower part of its spine, but it stops moving regardless and Dimitri’s three jaws begin working in unison to get it down his throat. </p>
<p>This is his first mistake. See, it’s at this point that most people drop the reins and flee for their lives. Dimitri’s banking on having enough time to get his first catch down before having to chase after the fleeing human. This human, however, does not flee. In fact, he freezes as he hears the telltale whine of a blade leaving its sheath, and has enough foresight to bite the horse in half and swallow what he has before the cart-owner suddenly lunges at him. Dimitri stumbles backward clumsily, a panicked growl bubbling up in his chest as re-orients himself. The human is relentless, lightning fast, and lunges forward again- A cry of pain escapes Dimitri as he feels the blade bite through the skin of his foreleg. </p>
<p>For some reason, this seems to startle the human. He takes a step back, looking perturbed as he locks eyes with Dimitri. Dimitri has no such hangups, however, and makes an angry swipe at his aggressor. The human is too slow to move away this time, and Dimitri’s claws sink deep into the flesh of his leg, raking upward almost to his hip. A horrible scream escapes the swordsman as blood sprays out into the air, and in a last ditch effort to just get away, he takes advantage of the closeness and buries his sword to the hilt in Dimitri’s flank and throws himself at the remaining horse, snapping what’s left of the reins and screaming himself hoarse as he clambers up and gets him and his cart moving. </p>
<p>Dimitri wheezes, stumbling over for a moment and collapsing into the snow. It’s half melted slush, slick and steaming from all of the hot blood. For once, he’s actually relieved to see the human get away. This is definitely an awful wound, but it’s not the end of the line, he can feel that much. He stays still for a long few moments, breathing heavily, and then he finally gets himself up. There’s no sense in wasting what little food he has, so he carefully sinks his teeth into the back half of the horse he bisected, slowly and laboriously dragging it back to his den. </p>
<p>He lays himself down carefully, slowly finishing off the second half of his catch. The sword stuck in his side makes the process quite unpleasant, and he reluctantly comes to terms with the fact that he’s going to have to pull it out. He draws a slow breath inward, leans down to grip the hilt between his teeth, and with a roar he pulls it out all at once. The pain is horrendous- immediately he throws the offending weapon, too distressed to even eat it, and favours grooming his newly leaking wound instead. It hurts, damn it hurts, but Dimitri knows that he is strong of constitution. He’ll need to wait a few days before he hunts again, give the wound time to heal. </p>
<p>When his jaws tire from his excessive grooming, he slumps down the rest of the way and lets his one good eye slip closed. A low, rumbling purr dredges up from his chest, the best he can do to try and soothe the gnawing ache. It’ll be okay, he reminds himself. He’s been through worse. </p>
<p>⁂</p>
<p>The trip to Fhirdiad and back typically takes Glenn about three or four days, depending on how well business goes and if there are any hangups on the road. Felix grows anxious as a fifth day passes, and nauseous with worry when a sixth goes by as well. His father is a mess, lamenting how he should have done a better job of keeping Glenn from leaving. He’s a worried wreck, but he’s also doing his best to be sensible about the situation: He says that it's senseless to go out on a wild goose chase when there's clearly some sort of danger about, and the possibility of a letter reaching him is slim if he's truly still traveling. </p>
<p>So Felix does the only logical thing: he sneaks out on his own at night, of course. He brings all of his gear, and food for a few days- just in case- and sets out while the moon is high. He scours the trail for a night and a day, making sure to be as thorough as possible. He’s getting more and more worried the further down the road he gets, with no sign of Glenn or his cart. It’s getting close to sundown by the time he thinks that maybe he should cede to exhaustion and stop for a rest when he spots it-- this massive, horrible, mottled red stain on the earth just off the side of the path. He freezes a moment before hurrying over, looking down at the crimson slush. </p>
<p><i>There’s too much of it,</i> he thinks. <i>This can’t possibly all be his. </i></p>
<p>And it’s true-- the amount of blood here is massive, far more than a human would produce, even if you reduced him to paste. He chews his lower lip as he moves further through the mess, inspecting the surrounding area. He finds a few ruined scraps of leather, a few bits of metal-- could these be parts of Glenn’s bridle? Spurred on by the discovery, he moves quicker, and finds that this horrible stain isn’t just a splatter, it’s a <i>trail.</i> Unthinkingly, his hand finds the hilt of his sword, and he swallows a lump in his throat as he moves further into the woods. </p>
<p>The bloody trail goes on for a while, but the blood eventually peters out. Felix is a hunter, however, and no stranger to the dense forests of Fhirdiad. Even when the blood depletes, he can see the grooves in the snow, places where the newly fallen powder doesn’t rise as high. He follows this diminutive trail with a slow and steady gait, worried that at any moment, the thing responsible for all that blood will jump out at him. </p>
<p>Felix <i>isn’t</i> accosted by some unseen adversary. He does, however, find that his trail comes to an end at the mouth of a fairly large looking den. He hesitates for a long few moments, unsure of what he’s going to find inside. This hesitation affords him some valuable insight, though: there’s snoring coming from within the den. Whatever it is that’s inside, it’s asleep. Not wanting to be caught unawares, he fumbles through his bag for his torch and firestarter, and in a few moments he has a low flame burning. </p>
<p>Steeling himself, he slowly steps down into the den. </p>
<p>It seems to just be one large, cavernous chamber. The centerpiece of the room makes itself immediately obvious- some sort of large, sleeping… <i>something.</i> Felix swallows a lump in his throat as he watches the massive creature’s body slowly rise and fall with breath. Its head is tucked away from view, hidden under a large, feathery wing, and wrapped tight up against its body is a spiny, segmented tail the likes of which he’s seen once or twice on a scorpion. It’s hard to tear his eyes away from the aberration, but even just a few steps inside he can smell the dull tang of old blood, and he reminds himself that he’s looking for his brother. </p>
<p>Moving slowly, he angles his torch around so he can see the cavern wall to wall. It seems mostly bare- the floor is bloody but otherwise unfurnished- until his gaze moves to the far right side and the glint of metal reflecting his torchlight catches his eye. For a moment, he pays it no real mind, but… the well kept leather grip in that telltale royal blue has him second guessing. He inches a little closer, chances bringing his torchlight closer to this monster, and sure enough, he spots what he’s afraid to find; engraved into the rain guard of the blade are three letters: GKF. </p>
<p>Felix nearly drops his torch, only catching it at the last second as he himself nearly topples over. He draws in a short, frantic breath and starts to speak his brother’s name, but he catches himself before finishing as he realizes with horror that the snoring beside him has come to a stop.</p>
<p>He freezes for a moment that feels like it lasts forever, and then all at once, feels all of his blood go hot. This thing… if it <i>did</i> kill Glenn, it needs to die right now. One shaky hand comes down to pull his sword from its sheath, and then the monster moves. </p>
<p>Its wing lowers, and a... decidedly human head slowly lifts up. Its one good eye squints as it adjusts to the firelight, and when its gaze rests upon Felix, it suddenly startles upward and moves backwards, away from him and into the back corner of its den. All of its fur and feathers fluff, its wings bowing downward and shaking themselves aggressively wide, and it hisses at him, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Its tail hovers dangerously above its head, already beading with venom. Felix is startled for a moment- he’s never seen <i>anything</i> like this before. Its human face is unnerving, but Felix clears that notion from his mind and instead chooses to note that the thing only has one working eye, which puts it at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>He’s <i>not</i> prepared for the monstrosity to suddenly <i>talk.</i></p>
<p>“BACK--” it barks, sounding frantic. “I-I won’t let you away again!” </p>
<p><i>Again?</i> The proclamation catches Felix off-guard, but not so much so that he doesn’t notice the gnarly wound in the creature’s flank. A stab-wound, for sure. That horrible tail twitches angrily above its head, moving Felix’s attention from the wound and prompting him to take a step back, raising his sword up as he does so. Did Glenn really think he could take this thing on by himself? </p>
<p>“...Again?” prompts Felix, his voice gritted harshly through his teeth. “What is that supposed to mean?” </p>
<p>“You <i>stabbed</i> me,” accuses the creature. Felix watches it cock its head slightly, and its expression grows puzzled as it seems to reconsider. “...Wait.” </p>
<p>Felix takes another step back. “Guess again. Now where <i>is</i> he?” </p>
<p>The massive creature takes a few unfaltering steps forward, seeming much less intimidated now that he can tell that this <i>isn’t</i> the swordsman who nearly had his hide. Felix is quick to stumble back, nearly up against the mouth of the den, now. The beast prefaces its next sentence with a growl, flashing an uncomfortable amount of fangs. </p>
<p>“The one who stabbed me? How am I supposed to know? He left his sword in me and fled. I’ll be keeping it, since he’s not coming back for it.” </p>
<p>“You’re wrong,” hisses Felix. “I’ll be taking it, now.” </p>
<p>He starts to slowly inch towards the right again, watching the monster carefully as he moves. Curiously, it doesn’t stop him. It seems as if it might protest for a moment, but then it closes its mouth and even allows Felix to move towards the blade unhindered. It becomes apparent <i>why</i> when it situates itself in front of the mouth of the cave, stretching its wings out to block out the last dying rays of the outside sunlight-- and consequently, Felix’s only exit. </p>
<p>Felix sighs irately as he straps Glenn’s sword to his belt, peering up as he chances a few steps closer. </p>
<p>“Move out of the way. <i>Now.</i>” </p>
<p>“No,” it quips. “I’ve been robbed of one meal, I won’t miss another. Come closer, if you're confident you can get a swing in.” </p>
<p>Felix draws a slow breath inward, aware he has little time to deliberate. He devises his plan just as the creature moves, swinging one massive paw at him in what is clearly an attempt to gore him; Felix’s reflexes are keen, and he slides himself quickly under the swinging limb. He brings his torch up as he moves, blazing the massive feathers overtop of him. The response is instant-- it jumps up with a start and leaps out of the den, rolling itself in the snow to douse its wing. </p>
<p>Felix wastes no time. In an instant he’s barreling out of the den, putting as much distance between himself and that nightmare behind him. He makes little headway, however. It’s not long at all before he hears frighteningly fast footfalls behind him, crunching thunderously through the fresh snow. The monster <i>roars</i> as it pursues him, so loud that Felix’s ears ring and nearby birds burst out from the safety of their nests into the night sky. </p>
<p>What happens next almost seems to happen in slow motion. Felix feels his heart stop in his chest as the monster’s fur brushes up against his back. It twists, and suddenly those monstrous jaws are opening up on either side of him, two rows on either side and all intimidatingly sharp looking. They seem to close all at once around him, catching his torso in a vice grip and lifting him straight up off the ground like he weighs nothing. Felix can feel its hot breath, feel its drool soaking into his clothes. </p>
<p>The ground rockets away from him at breakneck speed when all of a sudden the thing rears up, putting him at <i>least</i> twelve feet off the ground if not more- and then, to make matters worse, it gives him a few hard shakes. </p>
<p>The sheer force is just too much. Felix loses his grip on both torch and sword, and Glenn’s sword too, goes flying. The rough handling has him feeling dizzy and disoriented, but he registers dully when the beast drops back down to all fours and trots back into its den. </p>
<p>It’s… so, so dark in here without his torch. His whole body is trembling in fear, but he does note the fact that these dagger-like teeth haven’t clamped down into him, have barely even broken the skin. The way the monster handles Felix is almost <i>gentle.</i> He doesn’t have much time to ponder the fact, though- the monster pushes him out of his mouth and back onto the floor of the den, </p>
<p>“Fuck- Let me out!” </p>
<p>“Why, so you can try and catch me on fire again? Or so you can run home and get a hunting party together? I’m no fool. I’m sure you aren’t, either.” </p>
<p>Felix’s head is a cacophony of white noise, all angry panic. He feels the beast situate itself again, lifting his legs feet-first up into its mouth, and that horrible third set of jaws near the back of its throat secure around his ankles and keep him from kicking or moving away. Now he’s hyperventilating, wondering what kind of horrible, unkind god would deign to make a monster like this. </p>
<p>“I’m only looking for my brother!” His voice is a squeal. “Let go! It isn’t <i>my</i> fault you didn’t move your wing fast enough! You challenged me to get past, and I <i>did!!”</i> </p>
<p>The beast doesn’t offer him a reply-- it seems that it’s not going to try and make conversation while its mouth is full. Instead, it bares a paw down on Felix to keep him from squirming and gives a hard swallow. Shock and disgust force Felix to shudder as he feels hot, powerful muscles pull him down deep, sinking him in up to his waist in the beast’s maw. His legs bend at the knee as his calves are forced down the monster’s throat, and he realizes that he’s in sort of a sitting position. It lifts its paw off of him so it can sit up and start to tilt its head back, and Felix takes the only opportunity he has: He grabs a fistful of hair in each hand, quickly wrapping the locks a few times over around his palms and tugging, hard. </p>
<p>The monster swallows again and Felix feels himself dip down low, so he strains every muscle in his core to pull himself upward by his tethers, and to his infinite relief and amazement, he feels himself bob right back up into that sitting position. It’s the most difficult fucking pull-up he’s ever done, but Felix has never been one to shirk his training, and this time, the price for slacking is certain death.</p>
<p>The beast seems perplexed. It sits itself down properly and tries swallowing again, and Felix heaves himself up even more confidently than before, keeping himself firmly in place. He notes with no small amount of disgust that the bottoms of his thighs are getting the lion’s share of the drool, and he feels the wet heat of it soaking up against his legs, through his pants and his spats. </p>
<p>“Let <i>go</i>,” he breathes, and gives the hair in his hands a sharp tug. The monster’s ears flick back and something like a whine escapes it as it shakes its head a little and brings a paw up to bat at Felix’s hands in protest. Felix feels that monstrous tongue wriggle up between his legs, and he shudders. Another sharp tug has the thing bowing its head down, and Felix feels his back touch the cold soil of the floor. </p>
<p>A few moments pass like this. Felix realizes that the monster is waiting for him to let go. He weighs his options-- if he <i>does</i>, it might snap him up quicker than he can grab on again. If he doesn’t, either he’s locked in this stalemate til one of them passes out, or this monster decides to bite him in half. Which… it could be doing right now. Felix stops to wonder for a moment why it <i>isn't</i>, and maybe that speculation is part of what ultimately makes him decide to slowly untangle one of his hands from the beast’s hair, pulling it away slowly just to see how it reacts. To his surprise, the reaction is actually… pretty good. The monster starts to angle him out, just a little, now that he has a little bit of wiggle room. Felix takes a slow breath, and then unwraps the other hand. </p>
<p>The sensation of sliding back <i>out</i> along that massive tongue is certainly unpleasant, but it means he’s out, and any horrible sensation is worth not getting eaten alive. His pants are absolutely soaked through, as is part of his tunic, and he realizes additionally that his torch is somewhere outside, soaking in the snow. Wintertime in Faerghus is cruelly cold, especially at night. If he were to go outside now, he’d most certainly die of hypothermia. </p>
<p>It takes him less than a minute to weigh his unfortunate options. </p>
<p>“...Hey,” he says. </p>
<p>The monster’s ears flick back again, though it’s hard to make out the gestures in the dark. He hears those feathers ruffle, like maybe the beast is tucking its wings up against its back. </p>
<p>“...Yes?” </p>
<p>“How about I make you a deal?” </p>
<p>Felix can practically hear it roll its eyes. “...I’m listening.” </p>
<p>“If you help me find my brother, I’ll promise not to let him or myself come back to hunt you. If you… leave us be, after this, we’ll leave you be, too.” </p>
<p>“I’m not sure I’m especially inclined to put myself near <i>both</i> of you at once,” he retorts, sounding skeptical. </p>
<p>“He doesn’t have a sword. I’d have both of them.” </p>
<p>“He had more than one weapon. I’d need some sort of assurance that you wouldn’t both make another attempt at me.” </p>
<p>Felix can feel the cold settling in with every moment that passes. His limbs are starting to tremble, and he draws them in close to himself as he speaks, growing a little more desperate. </p>
<p>“Like what?” </p>
<p>“...Leave your weapons here.” </p>
<p>“I want them back after.” </p>
<p>“You’ll come back and get them, then.” </p>
<p>“Fine. That’s f-fair.” </p>
<p>He can’t keep the tremble out of his voice, now. His teeth are chattering, and he hugs himself tight, trying to conserve what little warmth he has. Maybe it’s fortunate, or maybe not, but the beast seems to take note of his tiny, trembling body. One massive paw cups Felix from behind, eliciting a gasp as he’s pulled forward into the thick, fluffy mane of the beast. He freezes up for only a moment before realizing what’s happening, and then he hugs up as close as possible to the warmer body. </p>
<p>Why did Glenn have to go missing <i>now?</i> Why couldn’t he have gone missing in the summer, instead?! </p>
<p>At the very least, that warm paw stays at his back. The beast clears its throat, and then speaks up, its voice dripping with tired resignation. </p>
<p>“...What are you called?” </p>
<p>“Felix.” Felix pauses, having realized that he didn’t think this thing would know what names <i>are.</i> “...And you?” </p>
<p>“Di..mi..tri, I think.” </p>
<p>His hindlegs lift themselves up, and then stretch out behind him so that he’s in a lying position. He keeps Felix in place as he adjusts, and then cups him closer to his chest. Felix doesn’t like the idea of getting too comfortable, in case this monster is just playing the long game and waiting for him to pass out. But… this thing- <i>he</i>… is clearly intelligent. Part human, maybe? And he has no other option but to trust him, because the alternative is a slow, cold death. </p>
<p>“Dimitri, you <i>think?</i>” </p>
<p>“That’s the name I remember. I don’t remember who gave it to me,” he ponders. “...Should I presume that you’ll want to go searching once the sun is up?” </p>
<p>“...It’s too cold right now,” laments Felix. “I’m soaked.” </p>
<p>“Sorry. ...It sounds counterproductive, but you’d be warmer if you took your wet clothes off.” </p>
<p>Felix’s gut twists. Sure, yeah, expose himself further. That sounds like a great idea. He already feels so naked without his weapons. He groans and pushes his face further into the fluff, shaking his head. </p>
<p>“...I know.” </p>
<p>“Suit yourself.” Dimitri cranes his head down and begins to groom his mane, fluffing up the fur above Felix’s head. Felix stays quiet for a few long moments, listening to the bizarre noises above him, but then he speaks again.</p>
<p>“I have a question.”</p>
<p>“I have an answer.” </p>
<p>“What <i>are</i> you?” </p>
<p>“A manticore. Though, I’ve also been called ‘monster’, or ‘beast’.” There’s just a touch of mirth in his voice- is he making a joke? </p>
<p>“A manticore,” Felix repeats. He thinks that maybe he’s read the word somewhere, something about a monster that lives in Almyra. “...Well, you obviously haven’t lived here your whole life, and you’re obviously an adult… Where were you before?” </p>
<p>He seems to shrug. “I don’t know. The names that men assign to places are arbitrary to me. I go where the food is plenty.” </p>
<p>“Rrrright. I suppose that makes sense.” </p>
<p>Dimitri doesn’t dignify the statement with a response, instead opting to lean down and groom the top of Felix’s head. The texture of his tongue is abrasive enough that he near instantly vests Felix of his hair tie, and Dimitri makes a thoughtful noise before chewing and swallowing it. Felix sputters and moves like he might protest, but decides against it for safety’s sake. </p>
<p>“<i>What</i> are you doing.” </p>
<p>“Cleaning your hair,” murmurs Dimitri between strokes. </p>
<p>Felix slumps his shoulders and resigns himself to his fate, deciding that it’s not the worst thing that could be happening here. He lets his eyes slip closed, thoroughly feeling the repercussions of how much he’s been exerting himself, but he’s too on-edge to let himself fall asleep. The grooming doesn’t last forever, though. Dimitri eventually finds himself satisfied with the progress he’s made, and he slows to a halt, and then gently rests his head down on top of Felix so that the swordsman is completely shielded from the outside world, surrounded on all sides by fluff. </p>
<p>And then he starts to <i>purr.</i> </p>
<p>And Felix bites his lips to keep himself from smiling as realizes all at once-- </p>
<p>
  <i>Oh my god, it’s just a big cat. </i>
</p>
<p>It’s the biggest fucking cat he’s ever seen. That low, rumbling purr vibrates around him on all sides, and before he can stop himself, he’s reaching up into Dimitri’s mane to start petting him. And oh- this just makes him purr louder. Felix swallows a laugh, and despite the obvious danger he’s in, he feels the tension leave his shoulders. He just pets, and pets, and listens to that steady purring, and before he even realizes it, he’s passing out. </p>
<p>Dimitri lays there for a long time, purring. And for the first time in a long time, he’s really glad he took a chance.</p>
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